Ever since its announcement, Ant man was plagued with issues. Whether it was script issues or problems with direction, Ant man had it all but somehow managed to make it to the finish line. With all this effort in keeping alive, it just seems a shame that it doesnt quite hit the mark.
Ant man introduces Scott Lang to the Marvel universe, telling the story of the man, the suit and the ants in their battle against billionaire genius, Darren Cross.
Overall, the base of Ant man is harmless, the narrative is easy to follow, the film looks great and the characters are quite easy to get along with, so its a little frustrating then that it doesn’t flow as well as it could have. With direction finally going to Peyton Reed after many months of changes, the film feels rushed, creating odd pacing that seemingly overlooks a much needed central story arc. Whether its due to an over simplified script or lack of production, it’s hard to know exactly where the issues occur most. Working off a script originally written and scheduled to be directed by Edgar Wright, one thing is certain, it’s a Wright film with the wrong director.
In a perfect world it would be easy to overlook these issues if it wasnt for two big issues. My first being the relationships between the characters. I get the origin story has to fit a lot in, but with little to no time spent on character development, we really don’t get much time to empathize as the issues are resolved before you even know why they are in the first place.
The second issue is the same I had with Thor 2…the bad guy is dull. Marvel got the ball rolling early with bad guys. Most of the time the aim is simple, world domination….Thor had Loki, Avengers 2 had Ultron, Iron man had Jeff Bridges…all things that don’t need a lot of explanation – so it just seems a little boring having a man with a grudge that just so happens to take in too much toxic formula.
With every cloud though, there is a silver lining and this film has lots of lining in the form of a good cast. Paul Rudd is decent as the unsung hero, Scott Lang, surprisingly showing up the critics as the lead. Evangeline Lily is good as the lead female, with the only disappointing being her lack of screen time. Its real talent however comes in the form of Michael Douglas, successfully taking on the role of Hank Pymm with great results.
Overall, Ant man is a passable entry to the Marvel universe, introducing Scott Lang and Hank Pymm nicely without too much hassle. With so much change happening behind the scenes, its no surprise that the final product is a bit if a mess. Laced throughout with hints of Edgar Wright, its a shame he couldn’t see his project through until the end.
3 out of 5 stars
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